Evening Flames of the Volcano

　　   Legend has it that Zhao Tuo, the King of Nanyue in the late Qin Dynasty, once hid his swords in this mountain, which caused them to glow at night. The light would appear every three to five days, starting around the first watch of the night, spreading from the base to the summit, turning the entire mountain crimson with flames shooting into the sky, before extinguishing in an instant. By the next day, the mountain would be lush and green as ever. Another tale says there is a bottomless pool at the foot of the mountain, housing a precious pearl that rises to the surface during the first watch. When the moon and stars are bright, the pearl’s radiant light illuminates the sky, resembling the phenomena of Mount Emei’s Gegar Light or the Sacred Lamp of Mount Heng, thus creating the marvelous sight known as the “Evening Flames of the Volcano.”

　　   The mountain produces lychees that ripen as early as April each year. These were once nationally famous as the “Volcano Lychees.” In the river at the mountain’s base, near Bing Cave, is found a delicious fish resembling small perch, especially tasty in late spring. It is said that these renowned fish first originated here before spreading to other regions. The Tang Dynasty poet Shen Quanqi wrote the lines, “Having endured the heat of the volcano, my face fades in the miasmic river.”